Editorial, 4/13: Knowledge key to getting anywhere on gun debate

Editorial, 4/13: Knowledge key to getting anywhere on gun debate

An audience member holds a Nebraskans Against Gun Violence sign during a town hall meeting on school safety Thursday in Lincoln. Perhaps the loudest cheer of a recent forum on student safety came after an attendee’s forceful plea to solve gun violence: “Nobody needs a f****** semiautomatic rifle.” On the surface, that might sound appealing to many supporters of stricter gun regulations, given that weapons such as the AR-15 — used in the shooting that killed 17 in a Florida high school — would fall under the category. Chatter about such a ban has increased in recent months. To gun owners, though, this proposal presents an obvious problem: It criminalizes the firearms used lawfully by hunters in addition to those commonly classified as assault weapons. This illustrates perhaps the greatest roadblock to finding common ground on the divisive topic of guns. Too often, zeal drives while facts are relegated […]